Organizers announced the First International Short Film Festival “uFilmFest”: What we call a real cinematography is created just in this manner

Kyiv, January 29, 2016.On February 12-13, the 1st International Short Film Festival “uFilmFest” will take place in Kyiv. “The cinema “Kinopanorama” is the main platform where the films included in international and national competition program will be screened,” announced the festival organizers at a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. According to Igor Bondar, director of uFilmFest, the festival aims at helping talented young filmmakers, supporting the festival movement in Ukraine and sharing international experience. Emphasis is put on positive motivating films. “In our opinion, a movie as a tool can motivate a person to act, to change something, to make life better,” so explained Igor Bondar the conception of choosing the programs.

Anna Demianenko, uFilmFest executive producer, informed that 1,815 films were sent for participation in the international program. “We have selected 16 of them – 12 fiction films and 4 animation films. Many of these films were shown at international festivals. We selected the best positive and motivating films,” said Anna Demianenko. Among them are “Illimitable Space” directed by Ciarán Dooley (Ireland), “Goonies” directed by Eduardo Moyano (Spain), “Bun with Butter” directed by Christopher Kaufman (Germany), “In the Face” directed by Jean-Marie Villeneuve (France). According to the uFilmFest executive producer, more than 80 films were sent for participation in the national contest program. “We have selected 14 films; seven of them will have their premiere; besides, 12 films were made at their own expense,” said Anna Demianenko. The following films will be shown in the national program of the festival: “Poor People” directed by Solomiya Tomashchuk, “House on the Edge of the Planet” directed by by Oleksiy Sobolev and Misha Koroteyev. “The Touch of Light” directed by Mariya Maga and others. The jury will include both representatives of Ukraine (Taras Tkachenko, Ukrainian director, Yanina Sokolova, actress and TV presenter, Oleksandr Gusev, film critic) and international directors (Richard Cook, Roberto de Feo and Mauro Carraro), informed Anna Demianenko.
“Such young cinema festivals are important to any national cinematography. But they are simply a matter of survival for us,” believes Oleksandr Gusev. “Our young filmmakers have very few opportunities. The festival will allow them to show their work both to professionals and to ordinary cinemagoers. It is also a kind of creative laboratory, a space for discussions, contacts and master classes,” – noted he.

“It’s an incredibly big step forward. The short film festival will further develop both our viewers and our products,” said Yanina Sokolova. According to her, every festival is about sharing experience, about the desire to demonstrate something personal and to hear something about its quality. She urged to try to take the initiative and create the national cinema and not to expect help from anyone. Despite of the poor state funding we should focus on this. “What we call a real cinematography is created just in this manner: when we do not sit idly by and do not expect money from those who have it in this country, but do not give it,” emphasized the member of uFilmFest jury.

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Mustafa Nayem, Member of Parliament of Ukraine (Faction "Petro Poroshenko Bloc")
Volodymyr Petrakovskyi, Advisor to the StateWatch expert organization, member of the Scientific Advisory Board under the State Bureau of Investigation
Kateryna Butko, activist of the All-Ukrainian NGO "Avtomaidan", PROSUD Project Coordinator

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